Interaction between flow at work and innovative behavior in working life: A mixed method research

In the 2000s, when we were involved in flow at work and innovative behavior are the subjects that are on the agenda, discussed and researched by researchers. The two topics mentioned were discussed and developed within the disciplines of positive psychology and behavioral sciences. There are different orientations in the national and international literature on both subjects. In this context, the thesis aim to reveal the interaction between flow at work and innovative behavior. With this aim, first of all, the concepts of innovative behavior were discussed with the flow experience and the flow at work and then a mixed method research was applied for flow at work and innovative behavior interaction in light of the findings obtained from the literature. This research was applied on 374 people working in food machine manufacturing in the Karaman province for quantitative; the qualitative research was applied to 23 people out of a total of 374 people. According to the findings of quantitative research, it was seen that there is a positively significant relationship between flow at work and innovative behavior. It was found that intrinsic enjoyment at work has a partial mediation effect between absorption to work and idea generation, idea search, implementation starting activities, including others and innovative output. As a result of qualitative research, innovative behavior and its dimensions have been observed to allow for flow at work. The flow at work was most experienced during the idea search, while the least were experienced, it has been conclusioned that it was experienced during the including others.In addition, while the intrinsic enjoyment at work occurs during the implementation starting activities the most, during overcoming obstacles the least, it has been observed that absorption to work occurs during overcoming obstacles the most. The least important dimension to absorption to work is the innovative output size. In general, the dimension that allows the flow at work is the search for ideas; the least giving size; it is observed that there is a dimension of overcoming obstacles.Thus, with this study, it is under the conclusion that the flow at work provides innovative behavior and that enables flow at work.